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Maggie Whitley

joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith & simple living

You are here: Home / lifestyle / mamahood / Dear Natalie, I hope your hair always smells like strawberries…

Dear Natalie, I hope your hair always smells like strawberries…

April 14, 2015 · 9 Comments
Filed Under: mamahood, Natalie

natalie rose maggie whitley

Zack asked me the other day if I thought about what kind of hairstyle I want Natalie to have once she gets a little bit older. She’s not quite 6 months old and already she has wild curls and great volume. Not to mention her hair smells like strawberries. I remember looking at him when he asked like, you mean she’s going to get older?

natalie rose maggie whitley

Every baby stage is my favorite baby stage. Those beginning weeks when all mama & baby do is eat, sleep and cry are such sacred weeks. They are the absolute hardest, but they pass so quickly. They are like heaven on earth for me. And now almost six months in, Natalie is showing us her personality, she’s BFFs with her feet, and we adore her crooked smile. And I can’t help but think, this baby stage is the best.

natalie rose maggie whitley

Natalie is eating baby oatmeal about 2x/day. She has been watching our hands bring food to our mouths for weeks now, and since her first tooth cut through recently I was like, well I guess it’s time? Pretty soon she’ll be feeding herself and I’ll be in the bedroom crying because she’s growing up. Ha! But of course, at that time she’ll be doing something new that I absolutely love and I’ll be quietly muttering, this stage is my favorite stage.

natalie rose maggie whitley

Zack is doing an amazing job with his post-production career and I’m so proud of him (!) and so grateful to have these years where I’m at home with our babies. When the days feel overwhelmingly difficult and I’ve tripped over a toy for the Nth time, I stop and focus on the big picture. I never go to bed regretting how I spend my daytime hours. Once in bed myself, it brings me an immeasurable amount of comfort to tuck away another batch of memories with Maxwell and Natalie.

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9 Comments
Filed Under: mamahood, Natalie

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Comments

  1. Melissa says

    April 14, 2015 at 7:26 am

    Oh Maggie, she is seriously the most precious thing. My baby girl is turning 8 tomorrow and I just cant believe how grown up she is. She’s my only daughter and I just love her to death. (where has the time gone?) Natalie reminds me so much of her, her curly locks and chubby legs…..that was my Hannah to a T. Your an amazing Momma!

    Reply
  2. Southern Gal says

    April 14, 2015 at 7:34 am

    Five to six months is the absolute best age in my eyes. The smiles, giggles, baby talk and chunkiness all work together to make me melt. She is absolutely gorgeous. Precious baby girl. Hair like her mommy’s? Does yours smell like strawberries?

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      April 14, 2015 at 1:45 pm

      My guess is if you asked my mom she’d say it does :)

      Reply
  3. Jen says

    April 14, 2015 at 9:04 am

    It’s such a sweet time when we can remember to enjoy the little things in the moments, I love watching my kids grow! Each stage is so different and so special.

    Reply
  4. Jessica says

    April 14, 2015 at 5:57 pm

    She has the cutest smile! I miss those baby days too. Now my little girl is almost 3 and it sad, but exciting. She’s aboslutely hilarious with all the funny things she says because (oh my gosh!) she can now talk rather coherently. But the ideas she gets and vocalizes. Sometimes I find I’m already getting in a workout from laughing so hard. Where has the time gone, indeed!

    I just wanted to thank you for your blog. Reading your posts is so uplifting and lets me know that I’m not alone in the mama struggle. I find that I don’t have a lot of patience these days as the toddler stage is wearing me down and quite often I feel like such a bad mom. But reading your posts reminds me to just sit down, take a deep long breath, and remind myself of my blessings. So, thank you. So very much <3

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      April 16, 2015 at 1:41 pm

      I AM SO THANKFUL YOU SHARED THIS! Seriously, so thankful :) xoxoxo ♥

      Reply
  5. Hubbs says

    April 14, 2015 at 9:45 pm

    This post just made me fall deeper in love with my daughter and with you. Two impossible feats. You make me choke up and I can’t believe how blessed I am for the girls in my life. Thank you Maggie. Thank you for this post, for your love, and for this daughter.

    Reply
  6. Mara says

    April 15, 2015 at 9:44 am

    Adorable!! I just love how colorful your home is :)

    Reply
    • Maggie Whitley says

      April 16, 2015 at 1:37 pm

      Hey thanks! xoxo

      Reply

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ABOUT MAGGIE WHITLEY DESIGNS:
Maggie Whitley weaves her writings around joy in motherhood, homemaking, faith, and simple living. She homeschools her children, enjoys a quiet room while reading, and roars with laughter over the challenges & delights of motherhood. Maggie and her husband, along with their four young children, live in metro-Detroit. She has been writing online since 2008.
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maggiewhitley

JOY in motherhood & homemaking 🧺🌿💓✨

maggiewhitley
Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect o Reflecting on this today 💓🕊 When I reflect on the moments I’ve felt my mind spinning, my emotions swirly, it’s almost always when I’m not feasting on the word of God. Not that reading scripture is the cure for anxiety —no! Rather, it’s hard to worry when we’re worshipping.
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#womenintheword #wearethehomemakers #scripture #dailyintheword #titus2woman #healthylifestyle #mentalhealth #anxiety #anxietyawareness
Current backyard status: stunning in wonder ❄️ Current backyard status: stunning in wonder ❄️✨
A quiet night: the furnace is running, the tea is A quiet night: the furnace is running, the tea is hot, and the whisper of a page turning. ♨️☕️📖 // We are breaking from school this week, my plan is to read a lot, walk a lot, and rest a lot. How about you?

#mothersofinstagram #tea #winterreading #hygge
I fought every internal comment I could think of a I fought every internal comment I could think of and took my kiddos for a looooong walk today before dinner. ❄️✨ There’s just so much work required to raise children! I’m feeling like a tired lady. But sunshine & fresh air are good companions to keep around. 

We came home and I made “the best dinner ever”. Max specifically announced, “it’s so great you’re launching new meals to the world”. LOL— kids! 🤣👏🏻💓
How about a little Wednesday night introduction? 😘Social media sure has changed over the years and we don’t always SEE who we’re following or remember WHY we’re following certain accounts. 

So, hello! As you can gather, my name is Maggie ;) 

I started writing online (almost 13 years ago) to share the handmade products I was sewing. My shop was called Gussy Sews. ✂️👛I love the community that has grown from sewing & sharing online.

Let’s FFW to today: Zack and I live in Michigan and have four young children (2 boys & 2 girls). I slowly left the handmade industry and walked right into homemaking, homeschooling, and encouraging women through writing. 💕📝

Motherhood has been very hard on me. (And not just because of how close in age our four children are.) It’s been hard for me because I fought for years to accept that *it’s supposed to be hard*. 

I mean, how do you effectively teach another person to know and love the Lord? Bc that’s how I think of motherhood: a calling to nurture others by studying the One who nurtures me. So I gotta make the first move: study the Bible and seek Him first. As my friend Autumn reminded me, vulnerability births transformation. 

(I’ve had to be really vulnerable!)

So, yes motherhood has fully transformed me. But even more so, Christ has fully transformed me. My list of “all that He’s done for me” is off to a beautifully long start.

Something else I want you to know about me: I stalled for years before acknowledging I have anxiety and depression. It’s hard to talk about this because of course this isn’t forever “my hardship”, but rather because acknowledging this means to heal I have to work through some really difficult things. ✨

But my friend Jesus walks alongside me. He’s already done a mighty work in my heart, including helping me process my anger in healthier ways. I’ve also adopted a heart for sisterhood, mothering, and Titus 2 mentorship.

Sometimes our greatest losses are our greatest gains? That’s what I’m clinging to!

How about you? Tell me something about yourself so I can get to know you on a deeper heart level. 🖤🖤
How do you play in the winter? // We had a really How do you play in the winter? // We had a really great time visiting family in northern Michigan. On my blog I share a few ways we played outside, plus I describe a memorable childhood game ❄️☃️. Did you play it as a kiddo?
We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens We had gotten a bit lazy with our rhythms: screens in the morning (HGTV), playtime before lessons, and not enough quiet time after lunch. This made for a really, ummm, unenjoyable learning experience. 

But today! Today we reset the rhythm, and we have had a much happier home & time learning together. 👏🏻
Visit my stories for a quick message from ME — t Visit my stories for a quick message from ME — think outside the box in terms of how you view the definition of “motherhood” 💓😘 (also: look at my little friend, she’s sooooo snuggly)
It’s another cold, winter day. ❄️Today I hop It’s another cold, winter day. ❄️Today I hope to bundle up for another family nature walk, knowing the fresh air sweeps out any & all frustration, inviting inspiration inside. ✨That’s something we all need more of.
seriously LOL: I’ve found the secret to calming seriously LOL: I’ve found the secret to calming the Laundry Beast (as a family of 6). Who wants the inside scoop? ✔️🧺👏🏻
Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomo Another batch of “fun mail” is headed out tomorrow :) small celebrations like this are very life giving! PS. thinking of starting a zoom book club — I need more sisterhood in my life. 👏🏻📖
The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are The house is quiet. The heat is on. The pages are turning. The tea is calm. 🖤☕️🧺📖
Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his ful Breakfast with Buzz! If only you could see his full costume and laser blaster and of course the Buzz action figure he flys around 🌟💚💙💨someone has discovered a superhero crush! #joyinmotherhood #slowmornings #surprisedbymotherhood // Landon @ 2.5yo
Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to Today on my blog I have a list of books I hope to read this year. Plus my reading goal for the year. And a few practicals ways I fit in reading as a mama of four young children & homeschooling them. Basically, all the good stuff ☺️💓📖 #maggiewhitleydotcom #readersofinstagram #read #readmorebooks
It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the fu It was the perfect opportunity to rearrange the furniture as we took the tree down Tuesday midday. Def one of my fav things to do.🎄👋🏻 We made it through our first week back to school since mid-December! It was rough to begin but ended with high fives. ⭐️✏️This morning I zoomed with a mama friend and I’m impressed with the many topics we covered. Sisterhood is sooooo necessary! ☕️👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏼

Just a few cheery memories from my week! How about you?
Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activiti Book reading! One of my best “Maggie” activities. I finished my last book moments before 2020 ended, which brought my started list to a close. Small joys add up to big joys ;)

What are you reading this year? Currently?

How many books are you planning to read? What’s your goal?

I’ll share what’s on my list for 2021 soon as I received some nice titles at Christmas. 📖✨🤍
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